Vancouver port adds agricultural shipping capacity

Canadian federal transport officials and others on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, celebrated the completion of work which expanded rail unloading capacity at West Coast Reduction Ltd.'s facilities at Port Metro Vancouver in British Columbia.

Officials said the project will improve transportation of agricultural products, particularly canola oil, being exported from Western Canada to Asia-Pacific markets..

Among other upgrades, the improved infrastructure means more rail cars can be unloaded at once, increasing the number of railcars that can be unloaded simultaneously from 16 to 24. This will allow West Coast Reduction Ltd. to increase its canola handling capacity by an estimated 50% representing an estimated additional C$270 million (US$253 million) in canola oil exported to Asia-Pacific markets.

The project also involves upgrading the piping infrastructure to handle additional capacity.